kraine has launched its long-awaited counter-offensive against Putin’s army with “differential outcomes” amid heavy fighting in a series of early battles, military experts said on Friday.
The Institute for the Study of War stressed that Kyiv troops had made advances around the eastern town of Bakhmut.
But it also emphasised that Russian forces had apparently defended against an attack in the western Zaporizhzhia province “in a doctrinally sound manner”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed what he described as “results” in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
“There is very heavy fighting in Donetsk region,” Mr Zelensky said in his daily video message.
“But there are results and I am grateful to those who achieved these results. Well done in Bakhmut. Step by step,” he said.
In further detail from the Washington-based think tank it said:
- Ukrainian officials had signalled that Ukrainian forces have transitioned from defensive to offensive operations in the Bakhmut sector and are making gains of between 200 metres and nearly two kilometre (1.2 miles) on the flanks of the eastern town.
- Ukrainian forces made tactical gains during limited localised counter-attacks in western Donetsk province, near the border with the Zaporizhzhia province.
- Ukrainian forces also conducted an attack in western Zaporizhzhia province on the night of June 7 to 8 but do not appear to have made gains as part of this attack, or at least not early on, with Moscow claiming Russian troops had regained lost positions.
The ISW has warned that Ukrainian forces may face their hardest challenges as they seek to initially breach Russian defensive lines and so could suffer heavy losses in the early part of the counter-offensive.
Russia’s army on Friday reported heavy fighting in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, saying over 21 Ukrainian tanks had been destroyed in battles across key sections of the front line.
However, claims from Moscow need to be treated with caution given the often inaccurate propaganda issued by the Kremlin and Russian defence minsistry.
A spokesman for Russia’s Vostok group of forces said 13 Ukrainian tanks were destroyed in battles in the Zaporizhzhia region and eight in the Donetsk region. It reported artillery, drone and infantry battles.
These claims could not be independently verified.
Russian military bloggers said there were intense battles on the Zaporizhzhia front near the city of Orikhiv as Ukraine sought to pierce Russian defences and drive a wedge through Russian forces.
Russia said Ukraine began a major offensive on Sunday morning, first in southern Donetsk, but Moscow said its forces repelled the attacks. Ukraine accused Moscow of spreading lies.
